Recipe
Sponge Cake with Port Wine Olive Oil and Cheese Cream Scented with Cinnamon
Serves
10
Active Time
25 MIN
Origin
ALENTEJO
During tomato season, there are no bad cooks.
— PORTUGUESE SAYING
Pão-de-ló (traditional sponge cake) is made all over the country, though it shows substantial differences from region to region. For this recipe, which is inspired by the pão-de-ló made in Ovar and which I serve while still warm, I added more flavor: I "married" Port wine with a Portuguese olive oil that is markedly sweet, such as the olive oils from Ribatejo, Northern Alentejo, the Beiras region, and some from Trás-os-Montes—a union that I consider happy and for which I count on your approval.
THE RECIPE
Ingredients
Serves 10
- For the pão-de-ló:
- Flour — 120 g
- Eggs — 12
- Sugar — 200 g
- For the cream:
- Requeijão cheese — 150 g
- Ground cinnamon — as needed (q.b.)
- Toasted pine nuts — as needed (q.b.)
- For the flavored olive oil:
- Extra virgin olive oil — 0.3 dl
- Muscovado sugar — 20 g
- Tawny Port wine — 1 dl
Preparation
Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until you obtain a fluffy, whitish cream. Add the sifted flour and fold this preparation into the egg whites beaten to stiff peaks. Pour into molds lined with parchment paper and bake in an oven preheated to 200 °C for 5 minutes.
For the flavored olive oil:
Separately, melt a little muscovado sugar, pour in the Port wine, and emulsify this mixture with a thread of extra virgin olive oil.
For the cream:
Toast the pine nuts in an oven preheated to 160 °C for approximately 5 minutes. Beat the requeijão cheese until it forms a smooth paste. Flavor it with cinnamon and garnish with the toasted pine nuts.
Presentation
Serve the pão-de-ló warm on a plate. Next to it, place the chilled cheese cream inside a small container. Flavor everything with the Port wine olive oil.